Table 1 Key differences and similarities between honeybees, Apis mellifera , and the bumblebees Bombus impatiens and B. terrestris
From: The genomes of two key bumblebee species with primitive eusocial organization
| Â | Honeybee | Bumblebees | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Â | A. mellifera | B. impatiens | B. terrestris |
Native range | Africa/Asia/Europe | Temperate North America | Palaearctic region |
Nesting | Cavity nesters | ||
Nest location | Trees | Ground | |
Foraging | Generalist foragers of nectar and pollen | ||
Colony cycle | Perennial | Annual with queen diapause | |
Colony founding | Colony fission | Solitary nest founding | |
Sociality | Advanced eusocial | Primitively eusocial | |
Colony size | Approximately 20,000-100,000 workers | <400 workers | |
Queen mating system | Highly polyandrous | Limited polyandry | Monandrous |
Worker division of labor | Age-based | Some size- and age-based | |
Caste differentiation | Morphology/Size/Physiology | Size/Physiology | |
Worker reproduction | Rare | Common | |
Human links | Managed (hundreds-thousands of years) | Managed (decades) | |